Vapor deposited metal catalytic film, process for making the same and liquid container with the film

Abstract

Metal catalytic film comprising a flexible substrate having a surface, a catalytic metal layer adherent to said surface of the substrate and having a thickness ranging from 200 to 1000 Angstroms. Method for forming metal catalytic film on a flexible substrate having a surface in a vacuum chamber comprising the steps of evacuating the vacuum chamber to a predetermined vacuum, introducing a substantially inert heavy gas into the vacuum chamber, creating a vapor stream of molecules of a catalytic metal in the vacuum chamber whereby the molecules of the catalytic metal are scattered by the inert heavy gas and are subsequently deposited upon the surface of the substrate to form a catalytic metal layer to a thickness ranging from 200 to 1000 Angstroms.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A metal catalytic film comprising a flexible non-metallic substrate having a surface, a porous catalytic metal layer formed of a single material adherent to said surface of the substrate and having a thickness ranging from 200 to 1000 Angstroms. 
     
     
       2. A metal catalytic film as in claim 1 wherein said layer has a silvery gray-to-black color. 
     
     
       3. A metal catalytic film as in claim 1 wherein the metal layer has pores having diameters in the range 10-100 Å. 
     
     
       4. A metal catalytic film as in claim 1 wherein said catalytic metal layer is formed of a metal having a purity of approximately 99.9%. 
     
     
       5. A metal catalytic film as in claim 4 wherein said metal is selected from the group of platinum, palladium, molybdenum, nickel and iron. 
     
     
       6. A method for forming metal catalytic film on a flexible non-metallic substrate having a surface in a vacuum chamber, evacuating the vacuum chamber to a vacuum ranging from 10 -3  to 10 -5  Torr vacuum, introducing a substantially inert heavy gas into the vacuum chamber, creating a vapor stream of molecules of a catalytic metal of a single material in the vacuum chamber whereby the molecules of the catalytic metal are scattered by the inert heavy gas and are subsequently deposited upon the surface of the substrate to form a porous catalytic metal layer to a thickness ranging from 200 to 1000 Angstroms. 
     
     
       7. A method as in claim 6 wherein the vapor stream is formed by electron beam gun evaporation. 
     
     
       8. A method as in claim 6 wherein said vapor stream is formed by sputtering. 
     
     
       9. A method as in claim 6 wherein the pressure of the heavy inert gas in the vacuum chamber ranges from 10 -3  to 10 -1  Torr. 
     
     
       10. A method as in claim 6 wherein the gas introduced is argon. 
     
     
       11. A method as in claim 6 wherein the substrate is advanced through the vapor stream during the time that the vapor stream is impinging upon the surface of the substrate in a continuous process. 
     
     
       12. A method as in claim 6 wherein the substrate is rotated through the vapor stream in a batch process. 
     
     
       13. A liquid container comprising a container having a wall, a catalytic metal film disposed within the container adapted to be contacted by liquid introduced into the container and a cap for closing the container. 
     
     
       14. A container as in claim 13 wherein said container is provided with a side wall and wherein said catalytic film is disposed adjacent the side wall in a position substantially parallel to the side wall. 
     
     
       15. A container as in claim 13 wherein said catalytic film is comprised of a substrate having a layer of a catalytic metal adherent thereto having a thickness ranging from 200 to 1000 Angstroms. 
     
     
       16. A container as in claim 13 wherein said catalytic metal layer is substantially porous and has a silvery gray to black appearance.